


Nothing for Something

by merryghoul



Category: Burn Notice
Genre: Case Fic, Gambling, Gen, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:43:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8552179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: Michael and Sam help a college student who is cheated by a fake internet café.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/gifts).



> [Title from a quote by Wilson Mizner.](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/wilsonmizn125526.html?src=t_gambling)
> 
>  
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> ***
> 
> Karios, I saw your Burn Notice requests when all the requests were opened, and I decided to write you a casefic treat. Happy Yuletide!

The client's name was Rachael. She was an English major at Florida International University. Instead of hanging out in one of the university's crowded libraries or studying in her dorm room, she was sitting at Carlito's in front of Michael and Sam. 

“I tried going to the police about this, but they didn't believe me,” Rachael said. “My grandmother's friend said you helped her out in some fraud case. That's how I got your number.”

Michael nodded. “Okay. What's your problem?”

“I had an assignment due for my British literature survey class on Monday. As soon as I was about to submit my homework, my computer died. It's closer for me to go to an internet café in my neighborhood than go to one of the FIU campuses to use a computer. I went to what I thought was an all-night internet café. When I arrived at the café, I was stopped by a man who looks like he works out at Gold's Gym every day.” 

“Sounds like he was functioning as a bouncer,” Michael said.

“Bouncers are for those fancy bars that sell fifteen-dollar cocktails,” Sam added. “Why would an internet café need a bouncer? I mean, unless they're selling cocktails.” 

“I didn't see any cocktails,” Rachael said. “But I saw machines. Like they were arcade games, but with slots on the monitors.”

“They're running an illegal gambling operation,” Michael said. “Their machines aren't approved by the state.” 

“The manager of what I thought was the internet café asked me if I had business there. I said no, I want to use a computer to finish my homework. The manager yelled at me and the bouncer threw me to the ground.” Rachael pulled up her left sleeve and showed Michael and Sam a scrape on her arm.

“Not only is that so-called bouncer not a bouncer, he's a bully,” Sam said. 

“I called the police. But by the time they arrived they couldn't find anything except what they thought were arcade games. The police scolded me for making a fake report to try to shut a business down. And what's worse is that my teacher doesn't believe I was roughed up by a bouncer. She thinks I tripped on one of the campus' sidewalks to get out of the assignment.” 

“If you'll give me the address of this internet café, I'll see what I can do,” Michael said.

 

For Michael's cover, Michael wore a trucker cap, an aqua green Dolphins shirt from the 1990s, jeans, and white sneakers. All of these items were dirty, stained, and full of holes. Back at Michael's loft, Michael and Sam dirtied, stained, and tore holes in these items, obtained from a goodwill store.

Sam and Michael drove to about a block away from where the internet café was. “I'll meet you at the parking garage across from City Hall, Sam.” 

“Got ya, buddy.”

Sam drove to the parking garage, and Michael walked to the internet café. 

The internet café didn't have any obvious signage in front of it. Most people didn't notice, since there were clubs that didn't have any signage located on the same street. But it was still odd that the internet café didn't have signage in front of the store, especially when other stores were open during the day.

Michael knocked on the door. He assumed no one would come immediately to the door, and he was right. He banged on the door with both his fists, being careful not to attempt to shatter the black tinted glass in the doors. “Help!” He spoke in a panicked Southern accent. “Help me! I need help right now!”

Moments later a woman with long black hair opened the door. She was as tall as Fiona. “We're not open, sir.”

“You have to help me.” Michael looked behind the woman while appearing to look terrified. He was checking to see if the internet café had an “employees only” room that might lead to an exit out of the café. He saw it.

“This doesn't look like an emergency. I can't help you, sir.”

“I need two thousand dollars by tomorrow or I'm going to jail.”

“I can give you the number for a Western Union if you need wired money or something.”

“You don't understand. I owe my wife alimony. I barely make enough to pay it. I work as a dishwasher in a fancy restaurant in the Design District. But they're struggling to pay their rent. They can barely pay me. I have money to pay for my bus pass and all my utilities. The only way I can make more money is if I come here.”

The woman shook her head. “I don't think this is the place you're looking for, sir.”

“I've been banned from greyhound races, lady. Horse races. If I get off the bus at Gulfstream Park, they'll push me back on it. Sometimes I win money off of scratch-off lottery tickets. But the most I've gotten is four dollars. You're my only hope, lady. I need a big payoff fast.” 

The woman looked up at the clouds above the streets of Miami before nodding. “All right. Come back tonight.”

 

When Michael returned to the internet café, he brought his SIG-Sauer and hid it behind his back. He also hid a burner phone in his jeans. This time Sam waited across the street, watching the internet café from afar.

Michael knocked on the door to the internet café. The security guard let Michael in, not noticing the SIG-Sauer. 

Michael went to one of the gambling machines, a slot machine game. Michael carried around five dollars worth of money to put into the machine, knowing he had to look as if he was actually playing the slot machine game to keep his cover. 

When he ran out of money, Michael started kicking and hitting the machine with his fist. “What the hell? I won. I won and this machine isn't paying me out.”

The owner of the shop headed towards Michael and the machine. “You can try again. Did you bring enough money?”

“That was all I had and this damn machine ate my money!”

Michael pulled out his SIG-Sauer and shot three bullets into the machine. 

 

After the bullets rang out, Sam called 911. “Hello?” Sam said before giving the address of the internet café. “I heard three shots rang out. I thought I saw some flashes, but the windows are covered up and the door is completely covered.”

Sam threw the burner phone in the trash near the internet café. That way the police could track the location of the café, but not see what Sam looked like. Sam then ran to the back of the building the café was in.

 

“You cheated me,” Michael said to the owner after shooting up the machine. “I want my money back.”

“You owe me the price of that machine. I'm keeping whatever money you put in it.”

“I want my money back.”

“You won't get your money back. Nicky will see you out.”

Nicky, the bouncer of the internet café, grabbed Michael by his shirt. Michael started fighting him and screaming at Nicky to let him go. When Michael felt his burner phone vibrate silently in his pants, Michael slugged Nicky in the temple, knocking him out. Michael ran towards the “Employees Only” door and stopped. He analyzed where the weakest spot in the door was and kicked it down, breaking the door. After he ran by various other gaming machines and other things in the back of the store, he broke the second door down and ran out onto the street. Sam had a motorbike waiting by the door of the store after Michael left the internet café. Sam closed the door and put the motorbike in the doorway. Michael and Sam headed towards a nearby parking lot and hid behind a car. 

 

Nicky and the owner of the the internet café didn't have any time to escape the café before the police arrived. The police broke down the door, saw the illegal machines, and arrested Nicky and the owner on the spot. 

 

Michael and Sam met up with Rachael at Carlito's again. “It won't fix your arm, but that café's been shut down,” Michael said to Rachael. “The owner of that café and the bouncer have both been arrested.”

“Do I owe you anything?” Rachael asked.

“It's on us,” Michael said. “You don't have to pay a thing. We even talked to your professor and she's letting you make up the assignment.”

“She said to meet her at this steakhouse in Coral Gables.”

Michael and Rachael stared at Sam.

“Oh, that was me. _I'm_ going to a steakhouse in Coral Gables.” Sam pointed at Rachael. “You have to see Ms. Yates during her office hours to get your makeup assignment.”

“Sam, what have I told you about picking up dates during our jobs?”

“Come on, Mike. Did you see Ms. Yates? She's smoking. If you weren't with Fi, wouldn't you want to date her?”

Michael shook his head and sighed.


End file.
